The Mausoleum of Avicenna (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: آرامگاه‌ بوعلی سینا) is a monumental complex located at Avicenna Square,

Hamadan Hamadan () or Hamedan ( fa, همدان, ''Hamedān'') (Old Persian: Haŋgmetana, Ecbatana) is the capital city of Hamadan Province of Iran. At the 2019 census, its population was 783,300 in 230,775 families. The majority of people living in Ham ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. Dedicated to the Persian

polymath A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...

Avicenna, the complex includes a library, a small museum, and a spindle-shaped tower inspired by the

Ziyarid The Ziyarid dynasty ( fa, زیاریان) was an Iranian dynasty of Gilaki origin that ruled Tabaristan from 931 to 1090 during the Iranian Intermezzo period. The empire rose to prominence during the leadership of Mardavij. After his death, his ...

-era Kavus Tower.

History

Hooshang Seyhoun Houshang Seyhoun, ( fa, هوشنگ سیحون) (August 22, 1920 – May 26, 2014) was an Iranian architect, sculptor, painter, scholar and professor. He studied fine arts at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and earned a de ...

, it was built in 1952, replacing an older building dedicated to Avicenna which was destroyed in 1950. The Pahlavi government had plans to build the mausoleum since at least 1939. The mausoleum was eventually dedicated in a grand ceremony in May 1954, and the avenue running in front of it was also renamed in honor of Avicenna. As the monument was a central element of the propagation of

Iranian nationalism Iranian nationalismPersian: ملی‌گرایی ایرانی Baloch: راج دوستی ایرانی Kurdish: نەتەوە پەروەریی ئێرانی Gilaki: ایجانایی ایرانی Azerbaijani: İran millətçiliyi Turkmen: Eýrany� ...

by the Pahlavi government, it was consequently in danger of being defaced, but as

Khomeini Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...

himself was an admirer of Avicenna, the square was not renamed after the

1979 Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

.''Thresholds'' 24, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2002, p. 48. "At the core of the Pahlavi 'pride,' around which the imagined Iranian nation was exulted before the Revolution, the tomb complex came under the risk of state vandalism between 1978 and 1980."

Gallery

File:Avicenna Mausoleum Hamedan Iran.jpg, Mausoleum of Avicenna File:Aviccena 2011.jpg, Mausoleum of Avicenna File:Mausoleum von Avicenna.jpg, Outside view File:Hamedan Avecina Tomb and Museum-07.jpg, A model of the complex File:Avicenna Mausoleum interior.jpg, An interior view File:Avicenna Mausoleum by Charles Heath.jpg, The old mausoleum drawn by

Charles Heath Charles Theodosius Heath (1 March 1785 – 18 November 1848) was a British engraver, currency and stamp printer, book publisher and illustrator. Life and career He was the illegitimate son of James Heath, a successful engraver who enjoyed ...

File:10-RIAL-REV-TAKHT-KE.jpg, Avicenna Mausoleum on the reverse of a 1954 10 Iranian rial banknote File:دویست ریال - سری چهارم جمهوری (پشت).jpg, Avicenna Mausoleum on the reverse of a 1981 200 Iranian rial banknote

References

*Pope, Arthur Upham. ''Persian Architecture.'' Tandem Verlag GmbH., 2007.

External links

*http://himetop.wikidot.com/avicenna-s-mausoleum {{Mausoleums in Iran Avicenna Buildings and structures completed in 1952 Museums in Iran Hamadan Buildings and structures in Hamadan Province Tourist attractions in Hamadan Province Mausoleums in Iran Hooshang Seyhoun buildings